Tampa Bay residents narrowly support transit sale tax initiative

[spuwho]

Per Trains NewsWire:

TAMPA, Fla. – A recent poll of Tampa Bay residents shows weak support for a proposed sales tax increase to fund for expanded mass transit. The poll was conducted by the Tampa Bay Times and other local media outlets.

The poll shows 55 percent of Pinellas County residents support the initiative. That include residents on the west side of the bay in the cities of St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

Further, 51 percent of residents in Hillsborough County support the initiative. That includes residents on the east side of the bay, including the city of Tampa.

Possible transit expansions include both rail and bus projects.

"There's a lot of momentum towards resolving our transportation issues," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn tells the Times. "I think it's a recognition that rail must be a component of that — not all of it, but a component. It's also an acknowledgement that we can't build our way out of the problem with just roads."

Tampa already has a historic streetcar, operated by the nonprofit Tampa Historic Streetcar Inc. The region does not yet have any light rail transit or commuter rail operations.

[tufsu1]

The support is down from a survey taken last summer

[thelakelander]

So what's the plan if this initiative fails to pass? 

[For_F-L-O-R-I-D-A]

So what's the plan if this initiative fails to pass?

Honestly, depending on how close the Pinellas vote is, Hillsborough is going to give it another try. The last vote was not as far off as people portray it. 2010 was a Tea Party dominated year and it was poor planning by those involved to put it on the ballot in a midterm election overall where there is lower turnout, but higher GOP/Middle Class turnout.

Pinellas is the most dense county in Florida the the route in interesting that the proposed LTR takes. It goes through a lot of old strip malls that I think they plan on seeing a lot of infill high density development especially around Gateway, Clearwater, and heading into DT St. Pete.

I am of the opinion that they should finish the loop of the street car in downtown Tampa and then look to extending that to SoHo/Hyde Park since that area is booming with young people and SoHo really is the hip district in Tampa. There needs to be connectivity within the Urban districts of Channelside, CBD, SoHo, the Heights, and Ybor. You provide that and bolster the street car as a mode of transportation in the core for residents to get around, whether to work or a grocery store, I think that would be a huge step.

Connecting up to Busch Gardens/USF (6-7 miles) and to Westshore/Airport (4 miles) would be nice though in connecting the city's business centers and urbanizing Westshore. It is only 4 miles from DT Tampa, which would be about the distance from DT Jax to Avondale. I really do think Tampa is on the right track especially with how beautiful they have made Curtis Hixon and the Riverwalk. It is just a pretty area now. DT office towers are about 85-90% filled too. The economy just needs to improve and you may see some serious growth there. Already, three towers from 23 stories to 36 stories expected to go up in the next year. And a Rays stadium DT with some of this would be great.

I think the Tampa Bay area has taken some real steps over the past 5 years even with the 2010 defeat.